Author removed from National Library due to plagiarism

Copies of El jardín de mamá Charo and Bajo el cumbo , plagiarized by the Panamanian writer Gloria Melania Rodríguez, were removed from National Library

The measure is part of "the actions that have been taken in the face of the accusation of plagiarism against Gloria Melania Rodríguez Molina," the entity said in a statement, and explained: "In response to the request of the National Institute of Culture ( INAC) and Editorial Santillana, the works received by legal deposit were withdrawn and the ISBNs (International Standard Book Number) assigned to them were annulled ".

This case was made public at the end of last month, when the Asociación Creator Intercultural, a Nicaraguan non-profit organization, released a statement accusing the writer Rodríguez of plagiarizing 12 stories by Nicaraguan author Pedro Alfonso Morales , which were included in the books El jardín de mamá Charo and Bajo el manguito , both awarded with the national prize of children and young people’s literature Carlos Francisco Changmarín in 2008 and 2012.

Days later, Rodríguez confessed to the plagiarism and asked Morales for forgiveness through a letter in her Facebook account, conditions that the Nicaraguan writer demanded to not proceed with a lawsuit.

Rodriguez also said that she would cancel the registration of the works, withdraw them from sales. Morales also demanded compensation for damages.

In parallel, the INAC published a statement on its website indicating that they were evaluating the corresponding legal actions for the plagiarism.

INAC is the organizer of the Carlos Francisco Changmarín National Prize for Children and Youth Literature, endowed with $ 3,000, a parchment and the publication of the winning work.